The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated its website with some interesting information around the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) numbers. According to the numbers, approximately 94% of those in America who have died from COVID between February 1st and August 22nd of this year had underlying health conditions that could have contributed to their death.
The information was captured within the organization’s “Weekly Updates” by Select Demographic and Geographic Characteristics placed by the CDC’s National Center for Health Stats. As per the more recent update, only six percent of all deaths to the novel coronavirus during this period was linked solely to the COVID-19, as it was the only condition mentioned. Those that passed with added causes or conditions along with COVID attributed for about 2.6 added causes or conditions per death, on average.
The underlying conditions that were linked to COVID-19 deaths were listed as pneumonia and influenza; adult respiratory distress syndrome; chronic lower respiratory illnesses; respiratory arrest and failure; added illnesses around the respiratory system; ischemic heart disease; hypertensive diseases; cardiac arrest; heart failure; cardiac arrhythmia; sepsis; cerebrovascular diseases; added illness of the circulatory system; diabetes; malignant neoplasms; obesity; vascular and unspecified dementia; Alzheimer’s; poisoning; intentional and unintentional injury, and other adverse events.
The report also added that the data during this period is “incomplete” due to the break between the time a death happened, and when a certificate of death was completed (which is then sent to the NCHS for processing and reporting). The CDC update revealed that this kind of delay can range from one to eight weeks, sometimes more.
It’s been touted for a while now that the most vulnerable to COVID-19 are those with underlying health conditions and the elderly. The virus has been linked to over 182,000 deaths across the U.S., this, according to CDC’s recent update on its website.
